At
a meeting on Sep 11, the Board of Directors of the Peninsula Macrobiotic
Community reviewed recent financial data and voted to do the following:
1) increase the price of the Dinners (both sitdown and takeout)
to $13 effective Oct 1; 2) hold a fundraising drive during November-December
2001. The price increase is needed immediately to meet rising costs.
(The last increase, to $12, was effec­tive Jan 4, 1999.) The Fundraising
Drive is intended to give the PMC more operating flexibility by bolstering
our bank account. Members of the Board are Ken Becker, Gerard Lum, Colleen
Corey, Ilona Pollak, Janet Nystrom, Lillie Barrows, and Robin Silberling.

During October, the First Baptist Church, as one of a group of churches
participating in the Urban Ministry Program in Palo Alto, will
take its turn to host the homeless. Our Monday Dinner group must be completely
cleaned up and out of Fellowship Hall by 9:00 PM. Dinner will start earlier
than usual at 6:15 PM, and no After-Dinner events will take place. We
will revert to our normal schedule and operation in November.

Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet For A Small Planet,
speaks on Hope's Edge:With Food As Our Teacher, We Can Learn To See
With New Eyes on Wed, Oct 17, 7:30-9 PM, at the Foundation for Global
Community, 222 High St, Palo Alto, $10 suggested (sliding scale), reservations
advised, call 650 328-7756. The sponsor is The Valley of Heart's Delight,
an organization dedicated to opening up new opportunities for local production
of organically grown food.

Monthly Vegan Potlucks! Sunday, Oct 21, 6:30 PM at the home
of Suzanne Olson in San Carlos, call 650 592-2139 to let her know you're
coming and for directions. Also on Thanksgiving Day, Nov 22, 2:00 PM,
at the home of Chuck Olson in Santa Clara, call 408 296-6944. If you’d
like to host a potluck, call Harold Stephenson, 650 856-1125.

Many individuals channel their particular skills--and some extraordinary
talent--into the Monday Dinners. We operate on a shoe­string, with volunteers
doing much of the work. Each Dinner, collectively produced, encompasses
not just Gourmet Vegetarian Dining, but also networking in a vibrant community,
support for those seeking a healthier lifestyle or dealing with a serious
condition, education in macrobiotic and other health areas, and a firsthand
taste of The Great Life. We have found a formula which has produced magic
for 14-1/2 years now.

We need your support for these activi­ties, so we are holding
a Fundraising Drive in Nov-Dec of 2001. At every Dinner, contribu­tion
envelopes and boxes will be prominently displayed, and an announcement
will be madeabout the Drive. Donations to the Peninsula Macrobiotic Community
(PMC) are accepted in any amount: $10/year is suggested to support the
newsletter; larger amounts are applied to both the newsletter and other
expenses, primarily insurance, and will also give us additional operating
flexibility to handle rising costs. See From The Editor for details
on contributing by mail.

Donations,
including $10 amounts to support the newsletter, are tax-deductible,
as the PMC is a nonprofit organization. The PMC acknowledges contributions
with a letter explaining their tax deductibility, sent automatically with
contributions of $20 or more. (The letter is not normally sent for $10
contributions, but will be sent upon request--call Gerard Lum, 650 903-0447.)

In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.Robert F. Kennedy,
April 4, 1968,
after the assassination of
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

I love you when you bow in your mosque,kneel in your temple,pray in your church.For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit. Kahlil Gibran, The Voice of the Poet

Speakers receive a gratuity collected from the audience; please show
your support and appreciation with a donation ($5 suggested).

What is our government's role in diet and health? Gain some valuable
insights on Nov 5, when Michele Simon speaks on The Politics
Of Meat And Dairy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s dual mandate
to set nutrition guidelines while also promoting the meat and dairy industries
poses an inherent conflict of interest. Bowing to industry pressure,
the USDA and other regulatory agencies have often downplayed or suppressed
the clear and extensive scientific evidence showing that a shifting to
a plant-based diet would have a profound and positive impact on public
health.

Michele will cover the following: the history of USDA's mission
and development of current policies; the Dietary Guidelines and Food Pyramid,
including the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) lawsuit;
the National School Lunch Program and other food assistance programs;
financial bailouts of the meat and dairy industries; and our government's
connection to the Milk Mustache Campaign.

Michele is Founder and Director of the Center For Informed Food
Choices (CIFC, www.informedeating.org), a nonprofit organization based
in Oakland. CIFC’s mission is to provide people with educational tools
and reliable resources to transition to a plant-based diet. It also seeks
to raise awareness about how government policies and corporations influence
our food choices, and to advocate for positive policy changes.

Michele has also worked as a policy analyst for PCRM, a Washington,
DC-based nonprofit that promotes a plant-based diet. She has published
numerous articles and appeared on several national radio programs, raising
awareness about issues such as organic standards, veggie libel laws, genetically
engineered foods, along with the issues she will cover in her talk. She
has a Master’s degree in Public Health from Yale, and a law degree from
UC, Hastings College of the Law.

Tofu Turkey with Herbed Bread Stuffing and Wild Mushroom Gravy

by Meredith McCarty

Makes 16 servings

Tofu turkey is one of those dishes you look forward to all
year long. The perfect surprise for holiday celebrations, leftovers taste
just as fantastic as when the “bird” is fresh out of the oven.

Thanks to Matthew Schmit, proprietor of The Tofu Shop in
Arcata, California for the original version of this delightful recipe.

Note: Recipe may be cut in half. Use a 9-inch colander. Cut baking
time to 1 1/2 hours (45 minutes each covered and uncovered). These smaller
tofu turkeys won¹t crack on the top as will the big ones. However, cracking
isn¹t a problem as a slice is covered with the delicious gravy.

Tofu Turkey:

5 pounds tofu, fresh, medium to firm

Homemade Stuffing Seasoning:

Makes 1/2 cup

The predominant flavor in traditional poultry seasoning is sage. The
first ingredient in some commercial varieties is salt and the last is
a free-flowing agent. Try this more healthful version that will last all
season long.

1/4 cup sage

2 tablespoons each dry marjoram, thyme, and savory or rosemary; half
the volume if herb is powdered

1. To prepare tofu, mash it well. Line an 11-inch colander with a single
layer of moistened cheesecloth and transfer tofu to colander. Press down
tofu to make flat and fold edges of cheesecloth over tofu to smooth them.
If tofu is medium textured, place a cake tin or another flat object of
a similar size over the surface of the tofu and weigh it down with a heavy
object (about 5 pounds) to press liquid from tofu for 1 hour. Omit this
step if using firm tofu.

3. To prepare stuffing, heat oil in a skillet and sauté vegetables. Sprinkle
seasonings, including salt and soy sauce, over vegetables. Stir, cover,
and continue to cook until vegetables are done, about 5 minutes. Add bread
cubes and parsley, and mix well. If bread cubes are very dry, add 1/4
to 1 cup water (start with less). Stir and cover to steam a little longer.

4. Preheat oven to 400°. Hollow out tofu to within an inch of colander.
(The space between the tip of your finger and the first joint usually
serves as a built-in 1-inch measuring stick. Press finger into tofu to
measure, then patch up the holes.) Pack in stuffing and cover it with
the remaining tofu. Pat down surface so it is flat and firm.

6. Mix basting liquid and brush tofu with half of it, then cover tofu
with aluminum foil or with an ovenproof bowl which is a bit larger than
the shaped tofu. Bake for an hour. Remove foil, baste again, and return
tofu turkey to oven to bake uncovered until "skin" becomes golden
brown, about an hour more, basting again halfway through.

7. To prepare gravy, in a large pot heat oil and sauté onions and mushrooms.
In a small bowl, whisk flour with enough of the measured water to form
a thin paste. Add remaining water and soy sauce to vegetables in pot.
Bring to boil and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add
flour mixture and stir well. Cook uncovered until desired consistency
is reached, about 15 minutes stirring occasionally, adding a little more
water toward the end of cooking only if gravy is too thick.

8. To serve, with 2 to 4 spatulas transfer tofu turkey to serving platter
and garnish. Serve gravy on the side.

Variation:

For Baked Stuffed Mini-Squashes, place whole squashes (ie.
golden nugget, sweet dumplings or mini-pumpkins) on a baking sheet to
bake at 450° until they are completely tender when pierced with a small
sharp knife, about 45 minutes. Cut off lid and scoop out seeds. Stuff
and return to oven to heat through.

Chestnut Rice

Makes 5 servings or 5 1/2 cups

This is a very special but simple rice dish with a sweet flavor from
the chestnuts. Available in well-stocked natural food stores and in Chinese,
Japanese or gourmet food shops imported from Italy or China, the shells
and skins have been removed and the nut meats dried, making them quicker
and easier to use than fresh chestnuts.